The Woman in the Window (1944)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Woman in the Window (1944) – F. Lang

Watching this noir from Fritz Lang while knowing the ending takes some of the bite away (although Lang apparently defended his creative decision).  Perhaps Scarlet Street (1945, with the same stars and director) hits harder in contrast.  Here, Edward G. Robinson is a psychology professor who has a random meet-up with Joan Bennett (the titular woman in a painting he admires) while his wife and children are away.  Unlike in the subsequent film, no romance begins – but the pair kills her lover (in self-defence) when he barges in unexpectedly.  The noir element extends from their decision to cover up the crime.  Lang (and screenwriter Nunnally Johnson) are particularly good at detailing the methodical steps the police take to solve the crime (and the clues that Robinson has left behind), even as Robinson is forced to be an onlooker to their processes by virtue of his friendship with the District Attorney.  And then things get worse when Dan Duryea shows up.  Surprisingly, Lang and Johnson don’t turn Robinson and Bennett against each other, perhaps a missed opportunity for even more suspense (it is hinted at as a possibility).  Things do get pretty dark – and then there is that ending!  A surprisingly languid affair, all up, but certainly in the top 100 of films noir from the era.